


A Crown of Light and Dark

by By_And_By



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Arranged Marriage, F/M, Royalty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24122176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/By_And_By/pseuds/By_And_By
Summary: Crown Prince Ben Organa Solo had made many mistakes in his past. He was fully aware of it.His foolishness and anger had blinded him for years, driven him into the waiting arms of a cruel and manipulative master, and nearly cost him his life and any chance of reconciliation with his kin.This was why Ben strived every day to atone for his sins. He would do as his mother, the strong and regal queen of Alderaan, bade him, and he would be the son and heir she needed through any hardships they might face.At the moment, though, he had forgotten this conviction.––Wherein, Prince Ben absolutely recoils at the idea of being wed to the granddaughter of Sheev Palpatine. Until he doesn't.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 6
Kudos: 81





	1. Chapter 1

Crown Prince Ben Organa Solo had made many mistakes in his past. He was fully aware of it.

His foolishness and anger had blinded him for years, driven him into the waiting arms of a cruel and manipulative master, and nearly cost him his life and any chance of reconciliation with his kin. It was only with the execution of the traitorous Lord Snoke that Ben had finally been freed to see his family for all they were.

Flawed, yes. Misguided in their dealings with him, perhaps. But kind. And loving. Yes, somehow, his mother and even his uncle still loved him.

His father had, too, though Ben had realized that too late. The old king, sick as he’d been with worry and grief for the fall of his only child and heir, had still granted Ben forgiveness on his deathbed. King Han had not only restored Ben to the succession, but more importantly, he had embraced him one last time, tenderly touched his face, and spoken words of love from a father to his son.

This was why Ben strived every day to atone for his sins. He would do as his mother, the strong and regal queen of Alderaan, bade him, and he would be the son and heir she needed through any hardships they might face.

At the moment, though, he had forgotten this conviction.

“You cannot make me!” he exclaimed, letting his old petulance seep back in. Queen Leia sighed. This outburst was less like the threats he had made under Snoke and more akin to the tantrums he’d had as a boy. The former had truly frightened her at the time, but the latter she could deal with without much trouble.

“We are merely receiving the royal family of a powerful kingdom, as is our duty as royals ourselves. That is all,” she replied. “What is there to be opposed to in that?”

“Perhaps the painfully obvious fact that _Sheev Palpatine_ is trying to marry me off to his granddaughter!” Ben took to pacing about his chambers, his body full of barely-restrained fury. Leia calmly watched him from her perch at his writing desk.

“A goal that, if it is in fact his intention, he will not be able to achieve without your consent,” she gently reminded him. “What is the harm in merely receiving them and acting as their hosts for a time?”

“The Palpatines _hate_ us!” Ben shouted. “Have you forgotten that they are the kind of devious family that would ally themselves with _Snoke_? No good could possibly come from this!”

“You are focusing only on Sheev, my son,” Leia responded, her tone taking on a firmer quality. “None of us have ever met his granddaughter, and by all accounts, his son was a good man.”

Ben sneered at that. “You mean the son that he had _murdered_ , along with the man’s wife?”

“You don’t know that,” Leia responded sternly but without any fire.

“Everyone in all the Core Kingdoms knows that!” Ben exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. “Just because no one says it out loud doesn’t make it untrue!” Leia fixed her son with a half-hearted glare. He suddenly recognized his mother’s exhaustion and his hand in causing it. Ben ran a hand through his long, dark hair, taking a breath to try to calm himself.

“You cannot feign to be ignorant of the malevolent intentions Palpatine _must_ have in this,” he said, his eyes fixed on his mother. The storm in them had hushed, but his near-constant intensity was still present.

“And _you_ cannot feign to be ignorant of the consequences if I should refuse him a seemingly-innocent request!” Leia retorted. Ben looked like he was going to respond but then thought better of it, shutting his mouth. His mother sighed again. “Yes, Ben, you are probably right about Palpatine’s intentions. But although Exegol is not the empire it once was, they still have the power to deal a vicious blow should a perceived slight on our part escalate into something more. I cannot risk that.”

Leia rose and crossed the room, hesitating for only a second before taking her son’s hand in her own. Although Ben towered over her, she could meet his eyes better this way. “ _We_ cannot risk that.”

He met his mother’s gentle gaze for only a moment before trying to turn away, but Leia brought her free hand up to his cheek, coaxing him to keep his eyes on hers.

“My boy,” she exhaled, abandoning any trace of the queen in her tone for the first time since she had stepped into his chambers to deliver the news. Right now, she spoke only as his mother. “One day, I will be gone, and you will be king of Alderaan.” Ben suppressed a flinch at the idea that he would one day lose his last remaining parent and gain a kingdom in return. “When that time comes, I do not want it to be any more difficult than it must be. And I certainly don’t want you to inherit a kingdom at war.

“You want to learn how to be the greatest king you can be? This is a part of those teachings. A great ruler must possess strength _and_ tact. Diplomacy is one of the greatest weapons you can wield.” She smiled mirthfully at him. “If only you spent as much time training with it as you do with your sword,” she joked. Ben chuckled a little in return.

“Let us receive Palpatine and his granddaughter,” she went on. “Let us act as gracious hosts and treat them with dignity and respect. Whatever may happen in the course of this, we will face at that time.” Leia gave her son a serious look filled with all the gravity, hope, and love she could muster. “Can you do this, my boy?”

Ben closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling his mother’s hand where it still rested on his face. When he opened his eyes, they were filled with determination. “I will, Mother.”

––

The day of the Palpatines' arrival had finally come.

Ben had calmed considerably since the day he had first heard the news of their coming, and he now stood to the right of his mother’s throne, ready to perform his duties to the best of his ability.

The young herald Mitaka made his way down the long, luxurious rug that led to Queen Leia’s throne. Mitaka was a new addition to the palace staff, and the poor man was obviously nervous that his first duty would be to announce the arrival of none other than Emperor Palpatine himself.

“Announcing the arrival–” When his voice cracked, Mitaka, looking mortified, cleared his throat and began again. “Announcing the arrival of Emperor Sheev Palpatine of Exegol, and his granddaughter, Crown Princess Reyna Palpatine.”

As soon as the servants opened the large, ornate doors to the throne room, Leia stood, her hands folded neatly in front of her and her face carefully neutral. Ben matched her stance and demeanor, though his eyes were searching.

In came Sheev Palpatine, looking even older than he had the last time Leia had encountered him. Still, he had the same seemingly kind smile and deceptively benign manner that had gained him an empire. He walked with all the nobility and elegance that a man of his station should, but there was a hunger in his eyes, one that Ben was all too familiar with.

Palpatine was leading the young woman next to him by the hand. She wore a bright blue, almost turquoise, dress that contrasted with the Emperor’s dark red robes, but her entire face was completely covered with a veil of pure white.

_His granddaughter_ , Ben thought with some alarm, though he carefully let nothing show in his expression. He didn’t want to dwell on why her face might be covered.

When the two finally reached the throne, Palpatine dropped his granddaughter’s hand and moved into a bow just low enough to be deemed acceptable, his eyes never leaving Leia’s. The young woman to his left seemed to notice just a second later and somewhat hastily dropped into a curtsey. Ben frowned at that. Was she nervous? Perhaps his mother had been correct in not viewing Sheev as the model for all members of the Palpatine clan.

“Queen Leia,” the Emperor purred, that same smile plastered on his face. “It is a joy to see you again.”

“Likewise,” Leia responded, offering only the slightest upturn of the corners of her mouth.

Palpatine then turned to Ben, a keen interest flickering in his eyes before quickly being snuffed out. “And Prince Ben. I’m pleased to finally make your acquaintance.”

“It is a meeting that’s been long awaited,” Ben calmly responded, his face remaining a mask of neutrality.

The Emperor seemed to smirk at that. “Indeed.” He then gestured toward the young woman, though he kept his gaze fixed on the Alderaanian royals. “Allow me to _personally_ introduce my granddaughter, Princess Reyna.” It was clear that, beneath the veil, the young woman was studying Leia and Ben, though it was impossible to tell what her expression was. “Dear child,” Palpatine coaxed after a moment of silence. His voice was soft but the warning in it was clear.

Reyna turned her head to meet her grandfather’s gaze. She seemed hesitant. When Palpatine kept his eyes trained on her, she gave an almost imperceptible nod.

She turned back to face the throne. Although her face was still covered, it seemed to Ben that her eyes were trained on him.

His instincts proved to be right when all at once, she lifted the veil, and her hazel eyes gazed right into his.

And Crown Prince Ben Organa Solo was met with the face of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *GAME OF THRONES THEME SONG PLAYS*


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kind comments on chapter one!

Princess Reyna Palpatine was no fool. When her grandfather had informed her of their impending visit to Alderaan, to be hosted by the kingdom’s royals no less, her heartbeat had quickened.

_Alderaan is ruled by a queen. But the queen has a son, the prince. Who is well past marriageable age._ The thought had made her blood run cold.

But she had kept a vaguely pleasant smile on her face as her grandfather explained that such “diplomatic meetings” were necessary to maintain amicable ties with “our friends in foreign lands.” He had said it all as if she were still a child to be educated, to be groomed. To be tricked. An image she strived to cultivate with every silent nod and obedient affirmation.

Rey had long since learned that the less her grandfather thought she knew, the better.

Despite her grandfather’s thoughts to the contrary, she was well aware of the prince’s less-than-savory past. How could any royal ignore when a prince is charged with treason against his own country? It had seemed to be all any of the rulers in the Core Kingdoms could discuss for months.

A man who allied himself with a power-hungry old lord to fight against his own family. A man whose actions led to his own parents removing him from the line of succession. A man a decade older than her with an infamous temper and a reputation for deadly efficiency on the battlefield. Was this the man her grandfather would marry her off to? Rey wouldn’t put it past the emperor to make such an arrangement, but she wouldn’t go along with such an arrangement blindly either.

She had tried to bring up the subject with her riding instructor. “How would _you_ describe the prince of Alderaan, Captain Phasma?” she had asked. Phasma herself had once fought under Lord Snoke by order of the emperor. Palpatine had decided to send his captain of the guard, the “greatest tactician and warrior in all of Exegol,” so he gushed, to Alderaan to advise his “most trusted friend and ally.” And yet, as soon as it had become clear that Snoke and all his forces would fall, Palpatine had just as quickly called Phasma back and never brought up the matter again. After all, Sheev Palpatine was not and would never be allies with “a deplorable traitor.” And a dead one at that.

Phasma _was_ a brilliant soldier and an exemplary captain, but to Rey, she was simply the woman who had taught her how to ride horses since she was a young girl. Not quite a friend, but someone fair and reliable at least. Nevertheless, when Rey had asked her about the Alderaanian prince, the impending woman had been as taciturn as always.

“He’s a skilled fighter. Powerful and lethal, but still has a clear mind for strategy.” Although Phasma’s face had remained neutral, Rey could detect admiration in her tone, borne from the respect one great warrior has for another. “He’s certainly a force to be feared.”

The conversation had not made Rey feel any better.

Afterwards, she had not discussed Alderaan or any of their royals with anyone else in the palace for months. Until today. The day of her and her grandfather’s arrival.

Now here she was, being presented to the royals of Alderaan in her grandest finery, face covered by a white veil, as was the custom whenever a princess of Exegol traveled to a foreign land. It was terribly difficult to see through it, so she relied on her grandfather’s guiding hand to make sure she didn’t trip and make a complete fool of herself. She was already nervous enough without having to worry about falling flat on the floor.

Through the veil, she could vaguely see the outlines of all present in the room. To her front, two figures stood out the most. One seemed fairly small but exuded pure confidence and regality. Even if Rey had not been able to make out the throne behind this figure, it was clear that she was looking at Queen Leia of Alderaan. And to the queen’s left …

_The prince_ , Rey thought with some trepidation. He was quite … large. Giant, if Rey was being perfectly frank. She thought she now had some idea of why Phasma had called him “a force to be feared.” She couldn’t even really _see_ him, and fear was still growing in her stomach!

But it was not just his size that was worrying her, was it? She might well be forced to _marry_ this man. This stranger who was absurdly tall and had killed countless people on the battlefield and whose very outline betrayed his rigid indifference to her and her grandfather’s arrival. There was a chance that this strange imposing figure may become her husband. What woman would _not_ feel fear at such an idea?

Distracted as she was with such thoughts, she did not hear her grandfather introduce her to the queen and prince.

“Dear child.”

The words made her turn her head towards her grandfather. They had ever been his seemingly gentle warning to her. _I’m being patient now, dear child, but that will change very soon if you do not do as I say._

There was no avoiding having to show her face, so after a moment, she gave her grandfather a small nod. She turned her head back towards the front. She let her eyes fixate on the prince. Rey could not describe why, but she wanted his to be the first face she saw in this strange country.

She lifted the veil and found herself gazing into dark brown eyes.

And Crown Princess Reyna Palpatine was met with a man more handsome than a force to be feared should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *GAME OF THRONES THEME SONG PLAYS* ... AGAIN


End file.
